Doing it for the kids: Deep Purple’s frontman and Black Sabbath’s guitar slinger dish up rarities from their bands — along with a pair of new originals — to rebuild an Armenian music school.

Download: Out of My Mind; Holy Water

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Christian Scott

Christian aTunde Adjuah

Jazz

4 stars out of 5

Treme fans may recognize Scott; the maverick New Orleans trumpeter has not only played on the show, but also helped inspire the Delmond Lambreaux character. His approach here may also feel a bit familiar — like his fictional alter-ego, young lion Scott looks forward and back on this landmark double set, stretching the boundaries of jazz while referencing his heritage. Outstanding.

Download: Jihad Joe; Danziger

Ryan Adams

Live After Deaf

Alt-Country

4 stars out of 5

Can’t get your fill of Adams? Well, belly up to the buffet. His mammoth box set Live After Deaf collects the alt-country tunesmith’s first 15 solo acoustic performances after recovering from ear problems in 2011 (hence the title). The full-meal deal contains 218 songs and lasts 16 hours, but those with smaller appetites can purchase these intimate shows a la carte online. Bon appetit.

Download: Live in London 1; Cophenhagen

Rick Ross

God Forgives, I Don’t

Rap

4 stars out of 5

Mysterious seizures, multiple beefs, a jail-guard past exposed; rapper Ross’s reality is eventful enough to fill several albums. But not this one. Instead, the unrepentantly self-indulgent Rozay goes for broke, cranking up his audacious drug-kingpin fantasies to hilarious extremes — and fashioning an overblown widescreen soundtrack to match. Proof that nothing succeeds like excess.

Download: 3 Kings feat. Dr. Dre & Jay-Z; Sixteen feat. Andre 3000

Joshua Radin

Underwater

Folk-Pop

3 stars out of 5

Don’t believe everything you read. The title of Radin’s fourth album could easily be Up in the Air. Armed with his acoustic guitar and whispery voice — and accompanied by VIP session cats and plenty of strings — the Ohio folk-pop singer-songwriter gently drifts through a breezy world of soothing ballads and … more soothing ballads. Dude needs to get his feet back on the ground.

Download: The Greenest Grass; Any Day Now

Susanna Hoffs

Someday

Pop

3 stars out of 5

A different light? Not quite. But perhaps a slightly different spectrum. Singer-guitarist Hoffs goes it alone again with her first solo album in 16 years. No surprise, these 10 retro tracks mine the same jangly, lightly bouncing ’60s pop vein that has long been her stock in trade. But thanks to plenty of chirpy horns and strings, it’s a little more Bacharach than Bangles. Sunny and sweet.

Download: November Sun; Picture

Antony & The Johnsons

Cut the World

Orch-Pop

4 stars out of 5

Some singers were born to rock. Antony Hegarty was born to croon heartbreaking ballads with a symphony. Which is just what he does here. Recorded in Copenhagen in 2011, this live set pairs the androgynous vocalist with a chamber orchestra that sets his romantic yearning to majestic, sweeping arrangements. You get 10 old numbers and one new tune — but no DVD. What gives?

Download: Cut the World; Future Feminism

Conor Maynard

Contrast

2.5 stars out of 5

He’s a non-threatening pretty boy. He has decent pipes and good hair. He was discovered by an R&B star after posting videos on YouTube. And on his debut album, he hires heavy hitters like Pharrell, Stargate, Ne-Yo and Benny Blanco to supply songs that are slickly produced and irresistibly hooky — but ultimately generic. Is it any wonder they call Maynard the Brighton Bieber?

Download: Vegas Girl; Can’t Say No

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DVDs

Ozzy Osbourne

Speak of the Devil: Live From Irvine Meadows ’82 Classic Rock

2.5 stars out of 5

Live or Lie? This 78-minute Ozzy gig — shot on his famous 1982 castle set, with guitarist Brad Gillis replacing the recently deceased Randy Rhoads — fits either description. Sure, the band kicks, though Oz looks understandably haunted. The problem: His blatantly redubbed vocals turn the whole affair into a Godzilla movie. And no bonus footage? Let us never speak of this again.

Peter Gabriel

Secret World Live

Art-Rock

4.5 stars out of 5

Sometimes the Grammys nail it. Thanks to cutting-edge production, theatrical presentation and eye-catching cinematography — not to mention superb performances from all involved — it’s no wonder this concert film won the 1996 long-form video award. Here, the 100-minute work gets the deluxe treatment: Digital restoration and remixing, bonus footage and a making-of doc. Brilliant.

Cheeseball guitar riffs. Harebrained lyrics. Tight-trousered vocals. Sub-teenage songcraft. Production straight from the lowest depths of the ’80s. Even in this space, it’s rare to encounter a perfect storm of ineptitude like that displayed by these two apparently full-grown Torontonians. In fact, it’s so awful I suspect it’s all a superb Spinal Tapish parody of bad basement-rock. And if these guys have any sense, that’s exactly what they tell people.